Backbone Rock

Bristol, Tennessee 37625

This short hike packs a lot of punch. Start at Backbone Rock, a historic recreation area developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Walk hand-laid stone steps to Backbone Falls, a slender spiller tumbling into a rock gorge. Return to the trailhead; then climb the actual Backbone Rock, a slender sandstone spine where views open. Finally, drop to visit Beaverdam Creek, a classic mountain stream.

Backbone Rock

Bristol, Tennessee 37625

This short hike packs a lot of punch. Start at Backbone Rock, a historic recreation area developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Walk hand-laid stone steps to Backbone Falls, a slender spiller tumbling into a rock gorge. Return to the trailhead; then climb the actual Backbone Rock, a slender sandstone spine where views open. Finally, drop to visit Beaverdam Creek, a classic mountain stream.

Backbone Rock Professional Guide

Detailed Trail Description from our Guidebook

"This short hike packs a lot of punch. Start at Backbone Rock, a historic recreation area developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Walk hand-laid stone steps to Backbone Falls, a slender spiller tumbling into a rock gorge. Return to the trailhead; then climb the actual Backbone Rock, a slender sandstone spine where views open. Finally, drop to visit Beaverdam Creek, a classic mountain stream."

"This gem of a 40-foot waterfall spills in faucet fashion through a rock crevice and is one highlight in a Cherokee National Forest recreation area developed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. It is an easy walk from the road to view the ribbon of white, after you walk atop the stream forming the falls. Other nearby activities include hiking atop Backbone Rock, picnicking, fishing, swimming, and camping. Backbone Rock, located near the Virginia state line, is a slender sandstone out-crop, looking monument-esque, around which Beaverdam Creek flows. The stream and mountains conspire to create an area ideal for scenic preservation. When the area was logged a century back, a spur rail line was laid along Beaverdam Creek from nearby Damascus. Rather than working the rail line around narrow Backbone Rock, the builders blasted a hole, creating a tunnel." Read more